Frank Hardy Sotheby's International Realty

Cookbook author Claudia Roden’s assertion that “everything tastes better outdoors” is certainly true at these four distinctive homes with alfresco dining spaces. Every meal is accompanied by views of verdant vineyards, majestic mountains, and other idyllic settings.

Modern Elegance in Houston

 Cortney Cole-Hall | Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty

Inspired in design, this modern six-bedroom home in Houston’s Bellaire community is ideal for peaceful day-to-day living and festive entertaining. A grand entry leads to spaces finished with Venetian plaster walls, walnut floors, cathedral ceilings, and cedar beams. The oversized estate site affords room for a swimming pool and spa, a guesthouse, a sports court, and a covered patio with a summer kitchen and a perfect space for alfresco dining. The numerous contemporary conveniences include an estate-wide generator and a security system.

Sonoma Serenity

 Gina Clyde, Daniel Casabonne | Sotheby’s International Realty – Sonoma Brokerage

Occupying some four acres surrounded by grape vines and mountains, this enchanting wine  country compound boasts a 6,035-square-foot home, an alluring pool and spa, a barn designed for entertaining, and a versatile two-bedroom guesthouse. The main residence offers four bedrooms, an airy open-plan great room, and numerous outdoor living spaces, including an alfresco dining area with stately stone walls that frame a vast view of the pool and verdant vineyards.

Santa Fe Contemporary

 Neil Lyon Group | Sotheby’s International Realty – Santa Fe Brokerage

Northwest of Santa Fe in the exclusive community of Las Campanas, this exemplary 3,600-square-foot contemporary home enjoys singular views that sweep from one mountain range to another. The floor plan features three bedroom suites; an open-concept kitchen, dining area, and living area; a butler’s pantry; a media room; and a two-car garage with electric-vehicle chargers. One of the two covered patios features a built-in grill, a pizza oven, a water feature, and a gas fire pit, making it perfect for gatherings and meals outdoors.

Montecito Magic

 Jason Siemens | Sotheby’s International Realty – Montecito – Coast Village Road Brokerage

This five-bedroom Mediterranean-inspired villa nestled amid the enchanting greenery of the Santa Ynez Valley is a stylish haven in the heart of Montecito. The kitchen opens to a covered outdoor dining area with romantic vine-draped archways giving way to a sitting area with a fire pit tucked beneath a shady tree. The alluringly colorful grounds also offer a bocce court, a pool and spa, and a courtyard with a fireplace, a built-in grill, and additional space for alfresco meals.

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From coast to coast, these four waterfront homes are buoys for modern-day living, affording a life lived amid scenic surroundings and the soothing sounds of water.

Chic Lakefront Contemporary

Cathie Messina | Sotheby’s International Realty – Westlake Village Brokerage

This dramatic contemporary oasis on Lake Sherwood was designed to maximize its cinematic views. In the great room and primary suite—one of four bedrooms in the home—disappearing walls of glass open to balconies where the dazzling vistas unfold. Other highlights include a 650-bottle wine cellar, an expertly equipped kitchen with views of its own, a butler’s pantry, a media room, a gym, and a den or office. A private dock and an inviting deck encourage boating, swimming, fishing, paddleboarding, and other water sports.

Effortless Indoor-Outdoor Living

 Joseph Barbieri | Sotheby’s International Realty – Greenwich Brokerage

On the banks of Indian Harbor, this lofty, airy, light-filled contemporary home—composed of steel, cedar, stone, and glass—offers an impressive 8,111 square feet and an array of balconies, rooftop terraces, and patios that extend living and entertaining spaces to the outdoors. The interiors have an open, effortless flow and enviable views, and the heated pool looks out over impossibly lush lawn toward the water. Nearby is a private five-acre park with a 160-foot deepwater dock for the exclusive use of neighborhood residents.

Westlake Island Oasis

 The Sheri Karp Group | Sotheby’s International Realty – Westlake Village Brokerage

In the exclusive environs of Westlake Island, this stylish home offers a wealth of bright, inviting spaces. The generous interiors feature an open-plan living and dining area, a chef’s kitchen, a study, three bedrooms, and a versatile room whimsically hidden behind a bookcase. Covered and open-air patios—including a built-in grilling area—an upper-level balcony, a hot tub with a waterfall, and an area of lush lawn create a picturesque waterfront oasis with a dock and sunset views.

Welcoming Beachfront Haven

 Walter Bering | Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty

Filled with coastal charm, this 4,902-square-foot home sits steps from a sugar-sand beach and the waves of the Gulf of Mexico. An elevator connects all three levels: on the first, parking and storage; on the second, an open kitchen, living room, and dining room with a spacious covered deck; and on the third, the primary suite, a study, four guest suites, a media and game room, and a second covered deck. A social membership in the Galveston Country Club included in the purchase price.

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Published: June 1, 2023 | By: American Luxury Staff

The Atlanta home of NBA star and longtime Hawks team member Dikembe Mutombo is for sale this spring. The Greek Revival-inspired property features eleven bedrooms and twelve baths across 13,290 sq. ft. of interior living area, as well as decorative flourishes that include a porte-cochere and a soaring neoclassical roof portico supported by a quartet of Ionic columns.

The mansion’s living spaces are preceded by a no-holds-barred foyer, where twin floating staircases, columns, and stone tile converge in a dazzling display. The sense of expanse represented by the foyer is continued in a wide-open dining and living area; dramatic dome ceilings with chandeliers and a barrel ceiling finished with Venetian plaster, stone tile and hardwood floors, towering banks of glass, balcony overlooks, and a carved fireplace or several also distinguish the shared spaces.

Among the amenities in this home is a large kitchen with a proportionate center island and a breakfast bar; a rotunda breakfast room is positioned just beyond. The bedroom suites are designed as a series, with each receiving a particular pastel shade as a dominant theme; the master bedroom features a fireplace sitting area.

Specialty spaces include a double-height library, a salon, a fitness room with a sauna, and a game room with a full-sized bar and a fireplace. Filling out the 2.37 acres of grounds are a pool, guest house and game court; a dense border of mature trees provides the privacy demarcation.More infoFor more information, contact Debora Ciupitu of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International

Published: May 19, 2023 | By: American Luxury Staff

City mouse Sarah Jessica Parker has decided to rent her Long Island getaway property this season. Modest and possessed of a midcentury coastal spirit, the slice of Hamptons heaven has three bedrooms and 1,200 sq. ft. to its credit, private beach access for a context, and the appeal of an artist’s den that might’ve hosted a prominent modernist novelist here and there or welcomed a Black Mountain poet for a weekend. It can be leased for $95K per month.

The house is as atmospherically period a corner of Northeastern summer as one could possibly want; sheathed in cedar shingles weathered seasoned grey and partially occupied by a tenacious creeping vine, the exterior tells a story or two with a first glance. Inside, it’s retained its 1940s details alongside certain tasteful renovations.

High on the list of the latter is the kitchen, where updates were carried out with an eye toward a splendidly insouciant cottage style — the floor in white and bright blue checkerboard tile and blue countertop make for a sympathetic response to the Atlantic just over the dunes. The floor in the adjacent living room is a response, in turn, to the kitchen, an abstract design in muted earth tones that works well with the red brick of the fireplace that anchors the space.

Outside, a deck provides ample space for long summer evenings in fair weather. It surveys a lawn that appears to belie the home’s quarter-acre lot size; this property is well-positioned to cast a spell as a seasonal lark that’s far-flung geographically — and perhaps, on certain moonlit evenings when the breeze is blowing from the east, temporally too.

Parker’s current projects include HBO Max’s Sex and the City reboot and sequel And Just Like That… The second season premieres next month.More infoFor more information, contact Kathy Konzet, Zacheriah Dayton and Ethan Dayton of Sothebys Intl Rlty

Chantel Mehrabanian – Sotheby’s International Realty – Beverly Hills Brokerage

A changing climate brings challenges, but gardening doesn’t have to be one of them. With a little bit of innovation and planning, home gardens can stay thriving over the long term, even if local weather patterns change. The key is to choose plants that are climate resilient.  

Climate-resilient gardens provide lush, revitalizing landscapes that enhance and protect properties regardless of harsher environmental conditions. And from the leafy canopies to the sturdy roots, they ensure efficient natural cooling, productive soils, abundant local biodiversity, and absorption of atmospheric carbon.

But an important question remains. With weather patterns gradually being altered by climate change, how can homeowners cultivate climate-resilient gardens? The current plant hardiness zones put out by the USDA were published in 2012 using data collected from 1976 to 2005, and a new, long-term model is still in progress.

These impressive properties demonstrate how a climate-resilient garden can be designed, grown, and maintained—and what the landscapes of the future can look like.

Sustainable Design at its Savviest

Chantel Mehrabanian – Sotheby’s International Realty – Beverly Hills Brokerage

Plants play a pivotal role in sequestering carbon, meaning that the more green cover a property can provide, the better for the environment. That’s why living walls and roofs have become such a popular—not to mention practical—trend. They’re not just beautiful; they also purify the air, reduce noise pollution, and provide excellent thermoregulation.

This panoramic Bel Air mansion features a living wall as part of its design, demonstrating the dazzling effect of a garden liberated from the ground. As one of the few three-floor addresses in this already illustrious neighborhood, it boasts the best of the best in all other aspects of its design—including its indoor–outdoor flow, which intuitively links the main level with the scenic lanai and more than an acre of backyard.

In Harmony With Flora and Fauna

Vicki Spearing – New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty

A resilient garden can go a long way to replenish compromised ecosystems. For example, in New Zealand, many conifers are invasive species that crowd out increasingly rare local plants, shrubs, and trees—and the animals that depend on them. These so-called “wilding pines” are a major issue—but well-planned, ecocentric landscaping can be part of the solution.

Amid the stunning terrain of Otago, this luxurious lodging has made a point of removing all wilding pines on the property, and in their place, planting native vegetation that complements the pristine vistas of Lake Hawea and the Grandview Ranges. Deer- and rabbit-proof fencing also ensures this garden coexists harmlessly with local wildlife.

Protecting the Land’s Productivity

Barbara Caprara – Ibiza Sotheby’s International Realty 

The loss of fertile topsoil is a concern facing society in the not-so-distant future. Over the years, intensive agriculture has taken a toll on once-fecund farmlands, and large agrarian lots are often seen as opportunities for development rather than for harvesting food. But there’s no reason why homes can’t occupy arable land while also conserving it.

That logic and ethos have informed this visionary estate in Ibiza. Though the three exquisite villas look like works of contemporary art, they stand on historic pastoral terraces that were restored and reimagined as a holistic part of the property’s inspiring architecture. Now fruit trees and orchards supply plenty of fresh food and fresh air, and the home has earned the well-deserved sobriquet “The Farm.”

A Place Where Past Meets Future

Eleonora Benetti – Italy Sotheby’s International Realty 

On a related note, the world’s warmer regions are monitoring the effects of climate change carefully. Heat-related hazards may be magnified in these locales, yet they remain some of the most desirable areas to live, visit, and vacation. Expertly-designed landscapes can help future-proof properties against environmental threats, and hold their aesthetic and functional value despite fluctuating temperatures.

This magnificent seaside farmhouse may have been built in the year 1500, but its gardens are still flourishing with life for several reasons. Not only does it have its own well and irrigation system for enduring periods of drought, but its parklands and orchards—encompassing five idyllic hectares—are forested with native species that thrive in the hot summers. These include around 650 olive trees, so locally-grown produce is yet another boon offered by this property.

It’s more critical than ever to consider the planet’s needs when designing properties and landscaping. Resilient gardens can make a real, tangible difference in managing and mitigating the effects of change, because what’s good for the Earth is also good for the home.

Have a green thumb? See these 5 landscaping trends.

Published: May 4, 2023 | By: American Luxury Staff

Retired NFL quarterback and former Steelers team member Ben Roethlisberger put his Pennsylvania home up for sale this month. Roethlisberger, known affectionately as ‘Big Ben’, is asking $2.9 million for the expansive country retreat.

The property spans 148 acres in Hanover Township; the house dates to 2000, and is designed in a rustic contemporary style that mixes alpine, lodge, farmhouse and modern design elements. The façade culminates in a soaring, peaked center section inset with ground-to-eave glass.

Inside, all that glass illuminates the great room, a voluminous space with a fireplace lodged in a fieldstone accent wall and an abundance of wood: walls and ceiling finished in pine plank, and a hardwood plank floor. An upper-level balcony overlooks the room.

The stone and timber remain the dominant cues, but there’s a bit of beige paint elsewhere in the home as the woodsy persona is tempered with a bit of suburban understatement and a few urbane amenities. On the whole, however, this is a house dedicated to the township lifestyle, with warmth prevailing and plenty of glass to appreciate the natural parks-and-game beauty that is the home’s context. Outside the great room, the master bedroom’s fireplace, balcony, and wall of glass panes and doors is particularly representative.

The acreage gets in a few back-to-the-land amenities, including ponds, trails, a garage and workshop, kennels, and a shooting range, while a guest house on the property adds at least one bedroom to the main home’s four.More infoFor more information, contact Matt Spaeth of PIATT SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY

With systems that can monitor and control climate, media, lights, window treatments, and security from nearly anywhere in the world, these three smart homes set high—and high-tech—standards for the finest in modern living.

Consummate California Contemporary

 Michele Altman | Sotheby’s International Realty – Carmel Brokerage

Filled with light and crisp, clean lines, this eye-catching Pebble Beach residence is quintessentially contemporary. Its distinctive semicircular floor plan offers four bedroom suites—including an owner’s suite with a wraparound deck, two walk-in closets, a gas fireplace, and an ocean view—a gourmet kitchen, and sophisticated living and entertaining spaces, many with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the artfully designed outdoor spaces. The home’s state-of-the-art technology includes a Sonos sound system, a whole-house gas generator, a DoorBird smart doorbell, and stylish Lutron window shades and blinds.

Sleek, Smart, and Sophisticated

 Jeffrey Hobgood | Sotheby’s International Realty – Beverly Hills Brokerage

This eye-catching contemporary residence enjoys a prime location on a convenient corner lot. The primary suite, its balcony, and the enviable upper-level deck ​​bask in views that stretch across the city. On the main level, Fleetwood glass doors open to a luxurious backyard with a soothing pool and spa and space for alfresco dining. A Control4 system operates many of the home’s systems, from lights, sound, window shades, climate, and security to the driveway gate and pool and spa controls.

Lofty, Light-Filled Living

 Chris Poore | Sotheby’s International Realty – Downtown Manhattan Brokerage

This chic two-level home in the stylish Village Mews cooperative benefits from the building’s location on a lovely tree-lined street in Greenwich Village. In addition to a private courtyard garden and designated parking, the two-bedroom residence enjoys a generous living and dining room with lofty ceilings, a streamlined chef’s kitchen with Thermador appliances and a banquette, and ample storage space. Smart amenities include a Nest system that controls multizone heating and air conditioning, Lutron lighting, and built-in Sonos speakers.

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